Lee Schmidt of Scottsdale, Arizona, is a golf course architect, so it would make perfect sense for him to drive a pickup. Well, maybe the pickup of his choice would be considered just a bit out of the ordinary—a 1935 Ford pickup that's channeled and sans fenders. We think it's a pickup's pickup and just what any hot rodder would want.

Lee worked with Dean Livermore of Hot Rods by Dean (HRBD) in Phoenix and between the two they found a starter 1935 Ford pickup in Washington. The two worked tandem on an earlier project and were up for teaming together once again. As the story goes the truck was driveable and had potential, although a little rough around the edges. The rebuild list was extensive and once completed the end result yielded a two-time finalist in the Goodguys Rod & Custom Association 2013 Early Pickup of the Year in Texas and Hot Rod of the Year competition in Indy.

The 111-inch wheelbase pickup sports a custom frame with a tubular center crossmember arrangement while the front and rear 'rails are bobbed. There is also a Z'd rear kick up. The rearend works around a Ford 9-inch fitted with 3.50 cogs, Lincoln Versailles disc brakes wrapped in SO-CAL Speed Shop finned drums, Aldan coilover shocks, four-link, and Panhard bar. The frontend is based on a Super Bell I-beam tipped with early Ford spindles, SO-CAL vented drums with Wilwood Dynalite calipers and proportioning valve. The brakes are actuated via a Kugel Komponents 90-degree swing pedal assembly while the Hot Rods by Dean–modified 1935 steering column is topped with a customized 1948 Packard wheel by Dennis Crooks of Quality Restorations that twists the GM power steering running through a Saginaw box. The steering shows up in the Chrysler artillery wheels measuring 16x4 in front and 16x5 in back, neatly wrapped with Firestone Deluxe Champion/Coker 5.00 and 7.25 rubber.

The sinister-looking V-8 is covered in "wet"-looking black paint with lots of polished hardware and polished highlights featured over the Moon oval air cleaner and valve covers. The always-popular and totally reliable small-block Chevy dressed in black sports 355 inches and is stuffed with a COMP Cams 'shaft, topped with an Edelbrock Air Gap intake supporting a Quick Fuel 700-cfm massaged Holley four-barrel. The over-the-frame headers are custom from the workbench of HRBD based on 2-inch primary tubes that usher the spent gases through 3-inch exhaust tubing. The headers run custom baffles with safety-wired mess screen caps over the openings. Bolted to the SBC is a Hughes-prepped 700-R4 tranny with a 2,500 stall converter, all operated by a modified 1940 Ford shift cable.

The all-steel 1935 Ford pickup sports a 3-1/2-inch top chop and a 4-inch channel over the frame while the custom steel pickup bed is filled with flat black stained wood. The bed is home for two compartments, one that houses the Optima battery with a kill switch and the other is for miscellaneous accessories. A HRBD gas cap resides on the driver side just inside the tailgate that leads to a custom stainless steel 15-gallon gas tank. The grille shell is a chopped and modified 1935 Ford with a HRBD custom grille insert. Sean Rosic handled the bodywork and then sprayed a custom mix PPG maroon over the sheetmetal. Accenting the deep maroon are modified swan neck outside door mirrors, Guide headlights with custom mounts, and 1939 Chevy taillights. Kerr West Plating received the nod for the brightwork while Bell Glass filled the opening in the doors and cab. There's also a HRBD-fabricated custom rear roll pan.

The 1935 interior features a number of custom touches beginning with the adaptation of a 1940 Ford dash outfitted with Classic Instruments gauges, Vintage Air A/C is hidden behind the HRBD stash box located behind the dash speaker grille, and wiring coming from the looms of American Auto Wire, while the mechanics was handled by HRBD. The custom bench seat is covered in black leather, as are the door panels while the headliner is in cloth; all is the handiwork of Glenn Kramer of Hot Rod Interiors. The seatbelts come by way of SO-CAL Speed Shop of Arizona. The carpeting is rubber mat held in place with custom aluminum trim strips fabricated at HRBD.

As pickups go, there can be no mistaking this is a hot rod and possibly better suited for weekend runs to the local burger joint than Mondays at the construction site. Well, it might also be an ideal way to get a bag of clubs to the golf course for a round of 18 holes.